The Sporting News unveils MLB season awards, Player of the Year comes as no surprise

The MLB season officially came to an end on Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers took down the New York Yankees in epic fashion in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. It seemed the series was destined to go six games until the Yankees forgot how to play defense.

With the season coming to an end, it is time for the yearly awards to be announced. The Sporting News got ahead of everyone, dropping their winners on Thursday. To no surprise, Bill Trocchi of The Sporting News made the right choice for player of the year.

In just his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani helped lead the team to a World Series. The Dodgers star posted career bests in multiple statistics, including most home runs with 54.

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Trocchi had this to say about Ohtani's incredible 2024:

"This season, Ohtani was limited to being a designated hitter after Tommy John surgery in September of 2023, and he turned in one of the most prolific performances in the game’s history. Despite facing extra pressure after signing a 10-year, $700 million contract and enduring an early-season gambling scandal involving his interpreter, Ohtani became the game’s first 50-50 player when he hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases while leading the league in runs, RBI, slugging percentage, total bases and OPS."

When finally healthy from Tommy John surgery, it will not be out of the question to see Ohtani grab MVP and Cy Young honors in the National League.

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